Coach Bill Self’s legacy at Kansas is unquestionable, but current struggles are real | Opinion
Self’s Jayhawks
First, let me preface my opinions by saying Bill Self has had a historic run as basketball coach at the University of Kansas and should have a statue next to Phog Allen in front of Allen Fieldhouse. I also realize Self lost several scholarships over the past few years because of NCAA infractions. With that said, things are not going well with the Jayhawks lately.
It seems that Self is not recruiting the right types of players to compete in the Big 12. Sure, they look like a competitive, composed team for parts of games, but they can’t get in sync offensively and defensively for a full game. If you look at their 2021-22 roster from the last championship (and last competitive team), you will see names such as Ochai Agbaji, Christian Braun and Jalen Wilson. These guys knew how to win game after game and had the “it” factor. The players Self is putting on the floor these days have the “deer in the headlights” factor.
Last year during a news conference after a loss, Self said he was already looking forward to next season. It’s early, but we might hear these words again soon.
- Greg Schoen, Lenexa
Some flub
So, yes, a big flub: Road construction near the Colbern Road Mid-Continent Public Library in Lee’s Summit resulted in patrons losing legal street access to the library’s parking lot from the west. (Jan. 8, KansasCity.com, “No left turn? Flub in road design frustrates library patrons, but a fix is coming”)
How did this get approved? It’s great that it will be corrected before someone is seriously hurt in an accident, but my question is: Who is paying for the correction to the design flaw?
Whoever participated in the original expenditure should pay for the correction. The taxpayers of Lee’s Summit should not be on the hook for the entire revision.
- Sheldon R. Oxner, Lake Lotawana
Be prepared
Mother Nature is a formidable foe. It is hard to defend yourself against hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and fires. Good leadership is critical for the welfare of a town, a city, a state and a country. Democracy, which includes politics, allows people to elect leaders who will prevent or minimize problems. We certainly don’t need to elect people who create problems or exacerbate problems.
The future requires us to be prepared for the worst possibilities. If we are fully prepared, then we can hope for the best.
- Steve Shaw, Kansas City
Climate reality
The Los Angeles fires have sparked political hatred from Donald Trump (Jan. 14, 7A, “MAGA fiddles while Los Angeles burns”) and foreshadow what the future holds for other communities. (Jan. 14, 8A, “LA-area fires provide grim window into future disasters”) With Trump planning to expel hundreds of thousands of immigrants from this country, there would be fewer workers to repair these damages.
The climate is screaming at us. Last summer, a strong thunder- and windstorm knocked down many of the trees on my street and in the woods near my house. Then a massive rainstorm caused a huge flood in the creek and on the trail near my house, and even flooded my basement. I’m only about 29, but I’ve never seen anything like it.
Nowhere is immune from climate disasters. So is that what it’s going to take — the destruction of your community and loss of everything because of a climate-caused disaster — before you join the fight to halt global warming and vote the MAGA people out of office to end this madness?
Please heed my warning and come to your senses.
- Niall E. Stallings, Kansas City
No service
On Monday, I tried to board a bus across from the main post office in Mission. I timed it so I wouldn’t wait in the frigid weather. A young bus driver arrived, and as I am 79 years old, use a cane and wear a brace, I asked her to move the bus 15 feet forward because I couldn’t climb over the 3 feet of snow. She replied, “I’m not allowed to do that,” pressed her gas pedal and was gone.
I abandoned my trip. I think bus service should provide service. Perhaps our bus drivers would benefit from sensitivity training.
- Ruth Kauffman, Mission
New plans?
When in England at a conference, Gen. Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if U.S. plans for Iraq were just an example of empire-building by then-President George W. Bush.
Powell responded: “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”
Our president-elect has indicated a desire to use military force against our allies to take back the Panama Canal and to acquire Greenland.
- Steven Quinn, Parkville
Just own it
A recent doctoral research study substantiated the significance of ownership by secondary students in alternative education programs. Specifically, students proved that they held the ability to accept ownership of their previous actions. Most important, it was revealed that taking ownership of opportunities is an independent and sometimes necessary process, as relying on others seldom proves profitable.
Applicable to civilization at large, this revelation lends support to the adage of giving a man a fish versus teaching the same man to fish. As with our students, who should be continually encouraged to seek opportunities for improvement, it is hereby recommended that food banks, housing shelters, school districts and other sources of necessities offer opportunities for those in need to take ownership of their lives and benefit others throughout the process. These entities require human resources to operate, yet seldom are recipients of goods and services seen providing the same.
Taking ownership of one’s life offers an array of advantages, beginning with an end to a reliance on others. As proved by our secondary students, and when applied properly, this concept could benefit the whole of society.
- Donald L. Robertson, Blue Springs